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Patriots owner Robert Kraft pulls support from Columbia after anti-Israel protests: ‘No longer an institution I recognize’
By Ronny Reyes Published April 22, 2024, 1:16 p.m. ET
(Good for him. I hope other big bucks donors will pull their support from Columbia and all other big name schools that turn a blind eye to this vile wave of antisemitism.
While they're at it, I'd give them bonus points for going after woke DEI.)

New England Patriots team owner Robert Kraft announced Monday that he was pulling his support from Columbia University over the ongoing anti-Israel protest at the Manhattan campus.

“It was through the full academic scholarship Columbia gave me that I was able to attend college and get my start in life and for that I have been tremendously grateful,” Kraft said in a statement. “However, the school I love so much – the one that welcomed me and provided me with so much opportunity – is no longer an institution I recognize.”

“I am deeply saddened at the virulent hate that continues to grow on campus and throughout our country,” Kraft added. “I am no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff and I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken.

“It is my hope that Columbia and its leadership will stand up to this hate by ending these protests immediately and will work to earn back the respect and trust of many of us who have lost faith in the institution,” he continued.

“It is my hope that in this difficult time, the Kraft Center at Columbia will serve as a source of security and safety for all Jewish students and faculty on campus who want to gather peacefully to practice their religions, to be together and to be welcomed.”

Kraft, who is worth $11.1 billion, has been a prolific donor to the university and funded the Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life across from Columbia’s campus.

The center was kickstarted with a $11.5 million donation in 2000, with the billionaire donating another $1.5 million in 2005.

Two years later, The Kraft Group pledged another $5 million in support of Columbia’s athletics program, which led to the naming of the Robert K. Kraft Field at the Baker Field Athletics Complex.

The 82-year-old Massachusetts native has ramped up efforts to fight antisemtism following the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, with his Foundation to Combat AntiSemitism running a 30-second ad during the Super Bowl as part of his “Stand Up to Jewish Hate” campaign.

Kraft has also committed $25 million to raise awareness about rising antisemitism, according to The Wall Street Journal.

He has previously donated millions of dollars to causes in Israel, including the funding of sports complexes and other philanthropic endeavors.

Kraft made his announcement following the high profile protest taking place at Columbia University where hundreds have gathered to demand an end to the war in Gaza.

The demonstrations, however, have included ugly episodes where protesters could be heard shouting antisemitic, anti-Israel and pro-Hamas chants.

What to know about the antisemitism controversy at Columbia University:
• Columbia University president Minouche Shafik was accused of “gross negligence” while testifying before the House Education and Workforce Committee about antisemitic incidents at the school and pro-Palestinian indoctrination. Shafik defended the school’s response after Oct. 7, but refused to tell lawmakers at the hearing if the phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is antisemitic.

• A report from the Ivy League school’s Task Force on Antisemitism found “repeated violations by student groups” at Columbia after the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks in Israel.

• Ahead of the hearing, Jewish students told The Post that they have been targeted and witnessed antisemitism at the Morningside Heights campus. The Columbia University Jewish Alumni Association told The Post that the college’s administrators must “do their job” in reining in unauthorized student protests.

• Shortly after the Oct. 7 attacks, more than 100 Columbia professors signed a letter defending students who support the “military action” by Hamas.

• In February, an antisemitic poster depicting Israel as a skunk appeared on campus — which experts liken to a propaganda poster used by the Nazis in World War II.

• An unsanctioned “Resistance 101” event was held on campus in March by a Palestinian activist with alleged ties to a group labeled a terror organization by the US. Four students who participated were later suspended by Columbia.

• While the congressional hearing was in progress, Columbia students erected 60 tents on campus to demand that the university divest from Israel. One of the leaders of the protests, Ilhan Omar’s daughter, Isra Hirsi, was suspended from Barnard College — a women’s college affiliated with Columbia.

• Shocking video footage captured a protester near the university declare, “We’re all Hamas” and “Long live Hamas” Wednesday. Another protester was arrested Wednesday night for repeatedly hitting and scratching an NYPD cop, according to law enforcement officials.

• On Thursday, more than 100 other protesters were arrested after Shafik announced the campus’s closure.

• Columbia canceled in-person classes on April 22 as the protests continued. Israeli-born professor Shai Davidai was barred from campus after he attempted to lead a pro-Jewish rally.

• Every New York House GOP lawmaker demanded that Shafik resign immediately for failing to crack down on the “large unauthorized antisemitic riot” on campus. Columbia University’s Jewish Alumni Association also called for Shafik’s resignation.

https://nypost.com/2024/04/22/us-news/robert-kraft-pulls-support-from-columbia-after-anti-israel-protests-no-longer-an-institution-i-recognize/